


Left of Orion

by iwasnttrainedforthis



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Science Fiction, Star Trek AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23332537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasnttrainedforthis/pseuds/iwasnttrainedforthis
Summary: Merlin is the chief science officer on theGalaxy-class starship HMSMonarch. Harry is an immortal being with unimaginable powers who won’t stop bothering him.
Relationships: Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	Left of Orion

Merlin frowns at the readout on his console. It doesn’t make sense. He makes a few adjustments, still getting the same results. Obviously the sensors have gone wonky. “Captain,” he calls out, “our sensors are malfunctioning. I’m trying to identify the cause.”

“I’m getting some strange navigation readings, too,” says Eggsy from the helm. 

Suddenly Merlin has to shield his eyes from a flash of light in the center of the bridge. A man stands halfway between Merlin and the captain’s chair, wearing heavily patterned robes. “Who speaks for you here?” he asks, voice resonant enough for a space twice as large. Roxy pulls her phaser and trains it on the man. The man waves his hand and the phaser flies across the room. “So your first response to meeting a new species is to try to shoot it? Interesting.”

Ginger stands. “My name is Captain Allen and I speak for this crew. Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?” 

The man, if that’s what he is, puffs up. “My name,” he pauses dramatically “is Harry.” The bridge crew trade looks with each other. He looks disappointed with the response. “Must be an issue with your primitive translators. I am here to put humanity on trial!”

This gets the response he was probably aiming for. As Harry looks around at the commotion his words have caused, Merlin quietly adjusts the sensors until they’re scanning the interior of the bridge. Perhaps the issue is not with the sensors after all.

As he suspected, the readings now appear normal. Has the ship itself been transported out of normal space somehow? It’s an unlikely explanation that seems more likely with every passing minute. As he scans Harry, his brow furrows. He’s not picking up any life signs in the traditional manner, instead he’s reading pure energy. Fascinated, Merlin isn’t paying attention to the conversation on the bridge as he analyses the readings. 

Until he hears “Excuse me, that’s very rude.” He blinks and looks up. Harry is standing right in front of him. Merlin isn’t sure whether he walked over or teleported. “I can feel that, you know.”

“You can?” Merlin wishes he had his tricorder, but he typically doesn’t take it with him for bridge duty. A clear oversight. “What does it feel like?” He adjusts the scan to measure a different wavelength. “How about now?” 

The being made of pure energy laughs at him. “Sort of like this,” he says, and snaps his fingers. Merlin feels a prickling wave flow over him from head to toe. 

“How did you do that?” he asks.

“How do you think I did it?” Merlin opens his mouth to reply but Harry turns away from him with a flourish. Merlin counts at least two capes. “Never mind! I will not be distracted. I am a member of a consortium of entities too powerful for your minds to comprehend. We have been watching the expansion of humanity across the galaxy with much concern. Your ship has been chosen as an exemplar of your race. Here, today, you have been granted a chance to prove your worth before we wipe humanity from the universe.”

Ginger draws up to her full height. “What gives you the authority to decide whether we deserve to live? Who appointed you judge and jury?”

Harry’s outfit transforms into a different set of robes, this time complete with a towering headpiece. “Who is going to stop me? I’ve transported your ship to an extra-dimensional space. For all you know the rest of humanity has already been destroyed.”

Ginger looks to Merlin.

“He could be telling the truth, captain,” Merlin tells her. “He could also just be manipulating our sensors, somehow.”

Harry rolls his eyes and waves his hand. Suddenly, he and Merlin are standing alone on the hull of the ship. The giant bulk of the _Monarch_ stretches off in the distance, but other than the ship, Merlin can see nothing but an empty expanse of white. 

“Do you believe me now?” Harry asks. 

Merlin narrows his eyes at him. “How do I know this isn’t an illusion? I’ve met species with fantastically advanced holographic technology, this would be child’s play for them.”

Harry raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t all of reality an illusion, if you think about it?”

He has a point, and now Merlin has a headache. He looks down at the ship beneath his feet. He’s never actually been this close to the hull of a _Galaxy_ -class starship before. He crouches down under the guise of inspecting the plating more closely and runs his hand over a protruding shield emitter. 

“I have to say, meeting humans in person has not been what I was expecting,” Harry says. Merlin looks up to see him watching with a puzzled frown. 

“What were you expecting?” Merlin should probably be trying to convince Harry to take him back to the bridge so that Ginger can deal with him. There’s a reason she’s the captain. 

“Not you.” Harry snaps his fingers and they’re back on the bridge. 

The frantic pace of activity on the bridge slows as everyone realises Merlin is back on board. Eggsy and Tequila stop shouting at each other. Roxy hits a button on her security console and a force field snaps up around Harry. He waves it away like a wisp of smoke. 

Harry claps his hands together. “So, we can agree that I have transported you to an extra-dimensional space, or a reasonable facsimile thereof?” He looks to Merlin, who nods at Ginger. 

Harry spreads his hands wide. “Then let the games begin.”

  
  


Five hours later, Merlin stands next to Harry, back on the hull of the _Monarch_. He’s almost getting used to the feeling. They’re watching Roxy and Eggsy, who have turned themselves into giants the size of the warp nacelles and are taking turns hurling miniature galaxies at each other. 

“What was this supposed to be testing?”

“What young, low-ranking members of your species do when gifted with unlimited powers,” says Harry, looking a touch disappointed. “Usually the test subjects go mad with power.” 

“Strictly speaking they’re not that low-ranking. They are officers, serving on one of our most prestigious ships.” Merlin finishes scanning the galaxies with his tricorder. They haven’t even tried to create new life. He’s a little disappointed himself. “Maybe you should give them a few more hours. What did you do with Captain Allen?”

Harry sighs. “I transported her back in time to your planet, to an era when her skin color and gender would make her a lower class citizen. I checked on her an hour ago.” He frowns. “She’s fomenting rebellion, which is violent and savage of her, but she hasn’t actually killed anyone yet.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” says Merlin. It explains Harry’s top hat, though.

Harry looks sideways at him. “You should be. Your fellow humans are making my job very difficult. You’re the only person to either pass or fail a test so far.” Merlin’s own test had been fairly simple. One of the samples in his laboratory had developed sentience and started growing rapidly enough to threaten the ship. Harry’s less than convincing clone of Ginger ordered him to destroy it. Merlin refused and figured out how to transport the life form to an alternate dimension instead.

Merlin looks back at him. “Are you really planning on destroying humanity if we fail your tests?”

Harry appears to grow a few centimetres. “You don’t think I have the power? I could vanish you all in a blink. We have before. But to answer your question, we will simply quarantine you back in your home system.” 

“What, all of us? How would that work? We’re not even all human on this ship, much less the thousands of settlements across the quadrant.”

Harry points at him. “Exactly! You’re like a virus, spreading across the universe.” He glances back to watch Roxy and Eggsy playing. “A very strange virus.” 

“But the results from our trials are inconclusive. And how can you judge all of humanity from the actions of a handful of people? Your sample size is too small.”

Harry looks Merlin over. “Perhaps you have a point. Perhaps I need to let this particular experiment run a little longer.”

“That’s not how you fix a sample size--” But before he knows it, Merlin is back on the bridge. So is Ginger, standing next to her chair and straightening her uniform with a relieved smile. Next to her Eggsy has his arm pulled back, ready to pitch a tiny galaxy over to Roxy. Merlin goes over to scan the cluster of light with his tricorder. He reads an energy signature very similar to Harry’s, until it dissolves into sparkles and disappears entirely. Merlin is not reassured in the slightest. 

* * *

Merlin crouches down several metres distant from a tiny quadruped. His tricorder didn’t register any toxins in its nails, skin or saliva but better safe than sorry. He’s learned that lesson the hard way. He smiles as he watches it munching on some plant life. Sometimes he thinks he has the best job in the galaxy. 

“Are we waiting for it to do something?” Merlin barely stops himself from falling over. Harry has appeared out of nowhere to crouch down next to him. The quadruped, startled by the noise, hops away behind a bush. Merlin stands and puts a good metre between himself and Harry. 

“What are you doing here?” he asks. And once he gets a better look at him, “Are you dressed as a knight?”

Harry looks down at himself. “It’s a conquistador’s uniform.” The ‘obviously’ is heavily implied. “Don’t you humans know your own history? I thought it was appropriate for my visit today to watch you stake your claim on yet another planet.”

“We’re not ‘staking our claim’ on this planet,” Merlin says. “We’re just exploring it. That’s our mission, to explore new places. It’s not even inhabited.” Harry just points at a winged insect flying by their heads. “It’s not inhabited by sentient life,” Merlin clarifies.

“How do you know that?” asks Harry. “Seems convenient that your so-called Prime Directive only applies when you want it to apply.”

“Well, you’re right that we can’t know for sure,” starts Merlin. “But we look for signs of tool use and other industrialization, and from here I can confirm by scanning for patterns of neural development.” 

Harry sniffs. “A typically limited view.”

Merlin turns his tricorder on Harry. He’s made a few adjustments since the last time they met, based on the scans from the ship’s sensors. “What would you suggest instead?”

Harry studies him thoughtfully. “Why do you bother at all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you explore new places? What’s the point?” Harry asks.

“Because it’s fun? Because it’s the best way to learn new things and grow?” Merlin points to a ridge in the distance. “Aren’t you curious about what’s over that next ridge?”

“Not really.” The next thing Merlin knows, they’re standing at the top of the ridge, overlooking a giant lake on the other side. “I already know.” 

Merlin frowns at him. “You’re missing the point. And you never did tell me what you’re doing here.”

“Just checking in on my experiment. Which reminds me, I’ve come up with some new ideas for your next trial. I’m going to need to borrow several school children and a deserted island.” 

“Harry, no,” says Merlin, but Harry has already disappeared into thin air. Merlin just sighs. He’d better warn Ginger. Assuming Harry’s not already on the bridge.

* * *

Merlin frowns down at the glass in his hand. He sniffs at it but doesn’t drink any. These diplomatic functions are one of the least favorite parts of his job. Sometimes he thinks he would have been better off on a science vessel. 

“If you don’t like it, why did you pick up the glass in the first place?” he hears from behind him. He closes his eyes briefly. He imagines that he’s on some sleepy backwater space station right now studying wormholes, and he’s never even heard of Harry.

He turns. Harry is wearing a full dress uniform, like Merlin, and has of course assigned himself the rank of admiral. Merlin nods to a confused looking ambassador passing them by on the way to the buffet. “This is not a good time, Harry.”

“I disagree! I’m hoping I can gain some insight into why your species spends so much time on ‘diplomacy’ when your history shows you’ll end up solving your problems with force anyway.” He looks around attentively. “I could use more data. My associates are starting to ask questions about why it’s taking so long to reach a judgment.”

Merlin has similar questions. He catches a wide eyed look from Captain Allen, currently speaking with the Yridian Chancellor. He interprets this look as a request to find a way to occupy Harry anywhere else. Before he can suggest a trip to the science lab to look at his latest project, a small group of disoriented Yridians appears in the center of the room. Harry raises his voice to carry. “Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Boslic Opposition Party hadn’t even been invited!” The yelling starts almost immediately afterwards. 

“You--!” Merlin takes a step towards Harry, lip curled. Harry’s eyes go wide. Merlin forces himself to redirect his course when a mini quiche goes flying past his head, calling back over his shoulder “We’re not done here, Harry.”

* * *

Merlin sits up in bed, confused. He could have sworn a strange squeaking noise woke him. “Shh!” he hears in the darkness.

“Computer, lights,” he calls out. The lights come on at fifty percent, as he has set them to do during night hours. He sees Harry, standing by the foot of his bed, wearing a science-blue uniform. It’s more or less what he expected to see, but his heart rate stays slightly elevated. “What are you doing in my quarters, Harry,” he asks with as much calm as he can manage. 

Harry shifts something small and furry in his arms. “Last time I visited your ship, I was waiting for you to get down to the science lab when I overheard one of the technicians mentioning to another that I could save time by just transporting directly to your quarters. She had a good point.”

Merlin rubs his eyes. “Of course. Listen, I don’t know how things are done on your planet, or even if you have a planet, but for humans, it’s generally considered polite to ask permission before entering someone’s bedroom.” He swings his legs over and stands up. He cannot continue to have this conversation in bed. 

“Is that because you don’t wear clothes in your quarters? Because this corporeal form is just a construct. It doesn’t matter to me.” And yet, as Merlin stands there in his pants, the way Harry eyes him up and down makes him cross his arms over his chest defensively. Harry makes it worse by transforming his own clothes from the uniform to a matching pair of boxers. “There, now we’re even.”

Merlin’s always thought it amusing that Harry chose such an objectively attractive human form. That a being made of pure energy could still have such vanity. It’s feeling less amusing by the minute as Harry steps closer to him. He chooses to focus instead on the fluffy quadruped Harry is holding. “Is that one of the animals from GU-IV?” he asks.

Harry beams and holds it out for Merlin to take. He does, trusting that Harry would let him know if it was venomous, his own scans never completed that day. “Yes! I know how much humans love to keep pets, and I remember you enjoyed watching this one. I’ve named him Hamish.”

Merlin eyes Harry. “Please tell me you got that name from our computer records.” It’s never been established to Merlin’s satisfaction whether Harry has telepathic powers or not. Harry just reaches over to pet the animal’s head without answering. The animal shivers in Merlin’s arms. He hands it back to Harry. 

“Harry, please take it back home. We only keep domesticated animals as pets. And if I wanted a pet, I’d get one myself. What were you thinking?”

Harry frowns and squeezes the animal a little closer to him. It squeaks softly. 

“I just thought you might appreciate some company. I know my last visit left things in disarray, I hoped this might make up for it.” Only Harry would try to apologize for being a nuisance by breaking into his quarters in the middle of the night. Harry brightens. “I did have one other idea for something you might enjoy.” Merlin takes a few steps back reflexively. 

The next thing he knows, he’s standing on nothing at all, in the middle of space. Before he can become too disoriented, his attention is captured by a bright core of matter rotating against a backdrop of swirling gas and dust. His jaw drops. “Is that--?” 

“A star being born. We’re inside a stellar nursery right now.” 

Merlin takes back every unkind thought he’s had about Harry in the past month. He reaches down for his tricorder and is brought back to himself when he remembers he was in his boxers a minute ago. Somehow the tricorder is there anyway, along with his uniform. He glances over at Harry to see him watching Merlin like Merlin is an equation he can’t quite solve. “Now this is a proper apology, Harry.” 

Harry cups his hands over what might be the quadruped’s ears. “Don’t let Hamish hear that.”

Merlin laughs at him and goes back to watching the core of the star forming. He leaves the tricorder where it is. Maybe not everything needs to be measured and recorded. 

* * *

Merlin stumbles, clutching his side a little harder. “Ensign, stop,” he says. Eggsy ignores him, dragging Merlin forward another step. “I said, stop.” 

“They’re right behind us, Merlin. Come on, just a little further--”

“I know they’re right behind us.” Merlin shakes him off and sits down. “You’re not going to make it trying to drag me along.” He pulls out his phaser. “Leave me here and I can hold them off.”

Eggsy tries to yank him up off the ground. “I’m not leaving you here.” Merlin grits his teeth as the pressure jars the wound in his side. The Breen have the technology for plasma weapons but apparently prefer the damage done by old fashioned projectiles.

Merlin puts his hands on Eggsy’s shoulders. “Listen to me carefully. If you can make it up to the communications relay you can contact the ship, and I’ll still have a chance. If the Breen catch up with you, we both die. Roxy is still stuck back in that cell. Her life depends on you too.” 

Eggsy scowls at him but they both know there’s no other choice. Eggsy grabs Merlin’s phaser and replaces it with the Breen rifle he was carrying. “If you get yourself killed I’m going to kick your arse.” He sprints up the stairway.

Merlin scowls after him. He can’t overload the rifle the way he could a phaser and he suspects Eggsy knew that. He drags himself up to the next landing and braces the rifle against his shoulder. At least the Breen also believed in old fashioned architecture. Nothing like a spiral staircase to hold off any number of invaders. 

He hears the clomp of boots on the stairs, and the Breen shouting at each other. He aims the rifle towards the farthest point of the turnaround. The shouts start to take on a higher pitched tone. Instead of sounding angry, they now sound scared. Merlin’s heart starts to beat even faster. Two Breen sprint around the bend, but they aren’t paying the least bit of attention to Merlin, even when he shoots the first one. A third somehow flies through the air towards the second, knocking them over. 

Merlin’s eyes go wide when Harry appears around the bend. He’s dressed in the Breen military uniform and carrying one of their rifles, which he tosses to the floor. Merlin finds himself staring at an errant piece of hair which has escaped Harry’s usually neat style. “You!” Harry stalks straight towards Merlin, who flinches involuntarily when Harry reaches for him.

The next thing he knows, he and Harry are back in his quarters on board the ship. The pain is gone, and when he reaches down to his side his skin is now unmarked. He takes a deep breath. Harry looks at Merlin, opens his mouth, then closes it again. He paces a few steps. Merlin hits his comm badge. He wants to check in before Harry gets started on what looks to be an epic rant. There’s no response from the comm badge. He looks around his quarters and notices a few small things out of place. A chill goes through him when he realises the door is missing as well.

“Where are we, Harry?” he asks.

Harry is facing away from him. “Don’t you recognize your own quarters?” He waves his hand towards the furniture. 

“I don’t think that’s where we are.”

Harry rounds on him. “Well you obviously can’t be trusted on your own! What did you think you were doing down there?”

Merlin looks at him in disbelief. “What was I doing? I was doing my job, that’s what I was doing. What are you doing? What’s happening back on the planet? Where’s Eggsy? Roxy?”

“You were minutes away from losing too much blood to stay conscious. And you wouldn’t even have made it that long before getting shot by those soldiers. You would have died there on that waste of a planet, and for what? Those children?”

Merlin goes toe to toe with Harry. “First of all, you don’t know that. I could have held them off for long enough for Eggsy to contact the ship. Second of all, it’s not your decision to make. We’re not toys for you to play with, Harry. I might not be able to manipulate time and space the way that you do, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not a person and that I don’t get to make choices about my own life.” 

Harry throws his arms up. “Not if you’re just going to throw it away!” He whirls around as if he can’t bear to look at Merlin any longer. Merlin watches him run his hand through his hair, which had briefly reverted to its normal elaborately gelled state. “I just don’t understand,” Harry mutters to himself. 

Merlin’s heart is beating fast enough to make him wonder if Harry bothered to replace any of his blood when he transported him up here, wherever they are. He’d gotten used to thinking of Harry as eccentric, but more or less harmless. He’s realised, perhaps too late, what a mistake that was. 

“OK, Harry,” he says, placing a cautious hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I’ll promise to be more careful in the future. But I’m worried about my friends. Can you take me back to my ship now?”

Harry shrugs his hand off and before Merlin can blink, he’s back on the bridge. So are Eggsy and Roxy, and judging from the confused look on their faces, they must have appeared there at the same time as Merlin. 

“Thank fuck!” says Eggsy. He collapses into his chair, fortunately empty. “What the hell happened?” 

Merlin staggers over to his own station to sit down. He can hear the captain paging Dr. Ngo to the bridge. “It was Harry,” he says. 

Eggsy laughs. “Looks like you’ve got your own guardian angel. Think he’ll keep an eye on me too if I ask nicely?”

Merlin just looks at him. He’s not sure what expression is on his face right now, but whatever it is makes Eggsy stop laughing.

* * *

Merlin wakes to the sound of his communicator beeping insistently. 

“What,” he says grumpily. Not very professional of him. But after the day he had yesterday, this had better be an important interruption. 

“Lieutenant, please report to the bridge immediately. We’ve got a...situation.” He groans quietly to himself. He knows damn well what sort of ‘situation’ requires his presence on the bridge. 

He dresses quickly and is stepping out of the turbolift onto the bridge in a matter of minutes. He only makes it a few steps before stumbling to a stop. Harry is on the bridge, as expected, but he’s not wearing a garish costume this time. He’s naked except for Eggsy’s uniform jacket, wrapped around his shoulders. Merlin suspects Eggsy had intended the jacket to be worn a little lower than that. “Is this some sort of joke?” Merlin asks.

“I was hoping you could shed some light on that, Lieutenant,” Ginger says. “Harry just told us he’s been turned into a human. As punishment.” 

Merlin turns to Harry, eyebrows raised. Harry holds up his hands, exasperated. “When have I ever lied to you before?” 

Merlin furrows his brow as he pulls out his tricorder and starts scanning. As he thinks back over their many interactions, he has to admit Harry has a point. He’s been obnoxious, smug, irritating, heavy-handed, yes, but he’s never tried to deceive them before. And according to the scan, Harry is now a perfectly normal human. All life signs within normal limits, no trace of the energy pattern Merlin has identified as Harry’s. 

He relays this information to the captain, who narrows her eyes at Harry. Harry looks back at her calmly. “Why don’t you escort Harry down to sickbay, have the doctor take a look at him.” 

Harry flinches when she mentions the doctor. He looks vulnerable in a way Merlin has never seen before, and it’s not just the nudity. Merlin nods his head towards the turbolift. “After you,” he says. 

Harry sweeps past him with more dignity than Merlin’s ever seen in a man not wearing pants. Merlin follows him and directs the turbolift to sickbay. “So. You’ve been turned into a human.” Harry nods. “As punishment. Punishment for what?”

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business.”

“If your punishment landed you on our ship, for us to take care of, then it sounds like it’s our business.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“So we’ll just drop you off on the nearest asteroid then?” A thought occurs to Merlin. “Is this punishment for interfering with the Breen?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve seen this before, they just want to make a point. They’ll let me suffer for a while, then when they feel I’ve learned my lesson I’ll be freed from this prison.” Harry indicates his body with a sweep of his hand. Merlin’s instinct is to follow the action with his eyes, but he refrains. The turbolift seems smaller than usual today. 

Thankfully they’ve arrived at the appropriate level. They pass Ensign DeMarco in the hallway. Harry nods at her. “Good afternoon, Gwen,” he says. Her eyes go wide and she walks into the doorframe. Merlin herds Harry into sickbay.

“It’s going to alarm the crew that you know their names when you haven’t been introduced.”

“But surely everyone knows who I am? And I thought it was polite for humans to greet each other by name?” 

“We’ll have to work on it, Harry. Also some of the rules are different if you’re not wearing clothes.”

Harry just shakes his head. The CMO greets them and ushers Harry towards a biobed. He looks back at Merlin. “You’ll stay?” 

“Of course,” Merlin tells him, puzzled. 

“This body is very fragile,” Harry says, while Dr. Ngo grabs a gown for him. “And I don’t like doctors.” 

Merlin wonders what sort of experience an incorporeal being would have with doctors, but watches as requested while Dr. Ngo administers the physical.

He steps back when Ginger arrives from the bridge. “Any new information?” she asks.

“All of the tests are coming back normal so far,” Merlin tells her, quietly. “He wouldn’t tell me anything more, other than to say he doesn’t expect this to be permanent.”

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” They watch Harry responding to the doctor’s questions as she takes a blood sample. 

Merlin tilts his head to the side. “This is the longest he’s ever gone without creating a scene by teleporting something or someone somewhere it’s not supposed to be.”

“Hm.” Ginger glances at him. “I’d feel better if he was closely supervised for the time being.”

Merlin doesn’t like where this is going. “I believe the brig has some open beds.”

Ginger pats him on the shoulder. “Maintenance should be done connecting the extra room to your quarters in an hour or so.”

  
  


Merlin takes Harry straight back to his quarters after the physical is completed. Ginger attempted a debriefing, but Harry remained stubbornly opaque as to how he ended up on their ship, and what his plans were for the future. Merlin briefly considered giving Harry a tour of the ship, maybe stopping in Ten Forward, but it didn’t seem fair to subject the rest of the crew to Harry just yet. He lets Harry in, then takes a minute to authorize Harry as a resident. 

He gives Harry a quick overview of the rooms, trying not to be disturbed by how familiar Harry is with the layout already. He leaves Harry to scroll through the clothing options on the replicator, heading to his own bedroom to get changed. When he comes back out, Harry is still scrolling. “Are these my only options? I’m starting to think your relentless expansion as a species might be tied to deep-seated feelings of inadequacy. Maybe if you took more pride in your appearance.” He eyes Merlin. 

So it begins. Merlin rolls his eyes. “This jumper is comfortable, and I don’t base my self worth on my clothing choices. Stay in your scrubs if you want.” 

Harry turns back and taps the replicator a few times. It produces a stack of clothing which he carries off to his bedroom. Merlin is sitting down to dinner when he comes back out, tugging on the sleeves of his own jumper. “It feels strange to have your clothing separate from your body. Very inefficient.” He looks at the table. “What is this?”

“This is dinner.” Merlin nods to the plate he’s set out for Harry. “Is there a particular type of food you prefer? I can replicate you something else instead.”

Harry looks faintly alarmed by the lightly steaming fish and veggies. “No, thank you. I’m not hungry.” 

“You just had a very thorough physical, Harry. Your blood sugar alone tells me that you need to eat, whether you’re hungry or not. Does your species not eat?” Merlin sits up a little straighter. He’s just realised that he might be stuck here with Harry, but Harry is also stuck here with him. He can’t just teleport away from inconvenient questions anymore. 

“Of course we don’t eat.”

“Well, I know you probably don’t need to eat. But not even for fun?”

Harry sits down, but does not touch the plate or silverware. “I’m familiar with the process. I’m not sure why it’s considered ‘fun’.” 

“I bet you’ll feel differently now you’ve got a human body.” Merlin takes a bite of his own fish. He feels a little like he’s encouraging a picky toddler. “Go on, try a bit.” 

Harry picks up a bit of battered fish with the fork and puts it in his mouth. His eyes go wide. Merlin grins, almost wishing he had thought to record this. “That is an extremely pleasant sensation,” says Harry, after he takes another two bites in quick succession. 

“Part of that is probably because you’re hungry,” Merlin tells him. “So if you don’t eat, how do you replenish your energy? Or do you not need to?”

Harry just takes another bite instead of answering, but that’s fine. They’ve got all night. Merlin can think of a few other things Harry might like to try. 

* * *

A week later, Merlin has to admit spending most of his free time supervising Harry hasn’t been as terrible as he thought it would be. He watches closely as Harry finishes the rep and places the bar back on the rack. “Well done, Harry. Excellent form.”

Harry sits up and wipes some sweat off his face with his shirt, grimacing. “I am not enjoying these sensations at all. Perhaps we can add this to the list of things not worth trying again.”

“I’m sorry Harry, but exercise is an important part of staying healthy for humans.”

“But I’m not going to have to stay human, so there’s no need for me to spend any time on it.”

Merlin shrugs. “Maybe not. It also helps elevate mood, can balance out your day nicely if you spend most of it looking at a computer screen. There’re plenty of other benefits.” He uses his towel to mop his own head. When he puts it back down Harry’s gaze snaps back to his face.

“Perhaps. Surely there are more pleasant ways of working up a sweat than lifting heavy weights? Or easier at least?”

Merlin’s mind drifts, briefly. He wrestles it back. “Believe it or not, weight lifting is one of the most efficient ways of staying in shape. That’s why I like it.” He spots Eggsy on his way into the gym and waves him over. “Eggsy here prefers the climbing gym and martial arts. Would you be willing to show Harry what you do to keep in shape? He isn’t enjoying my workout very much.”

“That’s ‘cause it’s boring, Merlin. How are you settling in, Harry?” 

“Very well, thank you,” replies Harry. “How are your mother and sister doing?” Eggsy’s eyes go big. Merlin elbows Harry. “I mean, tell me Eggsy, do you have any family aboard the ship?”

Eggsy cracks a smile. “It’s fine, Harry. My mum and sister are doing great.”

Merlin sighs. It’s a work in progress. “I’ll see you back at home, Harry,” he says. “Have fun.” 

“So what do you know about bat’leths?” Eggsy is asking as Merlin leaves. Harry looks intrigued. Merlin hopes he won’t regret this later.

* * *

“What if we adjusted the ratio of plasma in the payload? Another 30 percent? Might be enough?” Percival adjusts the appropriate equations on the main panel and the diagram shifts accordingly. 

Merlin tosses the padd down on the console and rubs his eyes. “Still not enough to overcome the compression. We need more than that, and we still can’t figure out how to get it close enough to the core in the first place.” He startles when a plate with a sandwich on it suddenly appears before him. He glances up to see Harry handing him a fresh mug of tea to go with it. He’s surprised to see Harry in engineering. Usually Harry avoids the area, claiming he doesn’t like to be reminded how slowly they’re moving through space.

“Time for a break, gentlemen?” he asks, somehow conjuring another plate and mug for Percival.

Merlin frowns. “We haven’t been making enough progress--”

“I have been reliably informed that regular meal breaks are important for maintaining optimal health, and can actually make you more productive.” Merlin narrows his eyes at Harry. He hates to hear his own words used against him but the bastard has a point. “I’d love to hear what you and Percival have so far.”

Merlin briefly outlines what they’ve been working on all morning, between bites of his sandwich. They’ve made decent progress, but time is running out for the Terellian people. 

Harry stands behind him, studying the display. “Wouldn’t deuterium be better as an additional catalyst? It would significantly improve the reaction rate you’re working with here.”

Merlin swivels his chair around, staring at Harry. 

Harry looks back at him. “What? I used to be able to manipulate objects at the subatomic level. I might be bound by the finite neurons of this nervous system now, but I still remember basic chemistry and physics.”

Merlin shakes his head and shoves an empty chair at Harry. “Hope you don’t have anything planned for the next 12 hours. What do your finite neurons remember about heat shielding?”

  
  


Sixteen hours later, Harry is trying to pull his hair out by its roots. “If I had my powers back I would have been able to restart this star with a thought! Why won’t these simulations work?” 

“I’m sorry we don’t have the ability to rearrange matter the way you’re used to.” Merlin’s vision is starting to blur staring at the computer screen in front of him so he stands up to stretch. He walks over to Harry and gently loosens Harry’s fingers from his hair. “Would you even have been the least bit worried about restarting the star if you still had your powers?”

Harry looks a little guilty. “It probably would have slipped my notice. We can’t always be rearranging the universe on behalf of one particular species or another. Wouldn’t do to have favorites, you know.”

“Of course not,” says Merlin, straight-faced.

“But Terellia is such a lovely little planet! And everybody was so friendly when we were on the surface for that symposium. We can’t just let their sun go dark.”

“We won’t. We’ve almost got this solved, the solution is right in front of us, I can feel it,” Merlin reassures him. Percival is looking at them both, eyebrows raised, and Merlin realises he’s still absent-mindedly running his fingers through Harry’s hair to straighten it. He takes a few steps away and picks up the empty mugs on the desk. “I’ll just get us all a refill.” Harry straightens up and starts poking away at the current simulation industriously. 

  
  


Merlin, Harry and Percival huddle around the main console, breathlessly watching the tiny speck that is their payload approach the star until it’s no longer visible. Merlin shifts his gaze to the energy readout. Harry turns his back to the computer and paces over to the other side of the room. “What if our margins of error were too large? How can you stand it? The not knowing?” 

He paces back to them. Merlin puts a hand on his shoulder, but doesn’t respond. 

After another tense few minutes, the radiation levels start to spike. A bright flash appears on the surface, spreading out over the whole star in a display of light that is awesome in the truest sense of the world. 

“Fucking spectacular!” shouts Merlin, while the rest of the engineering crew start cheering. Merlin turns and throws his arms around Harry. Harry stands with his arms out to the side for a moment, then cautiously returns the hug. Merlin pulls back and they beam at each other for a minute before Merlin turns to hug Percival as well. 

Tequila’s voice comes over the intercom. “Captain says great job, guys. And I’m patching through a transmission from the surface for you.”

The chief science officer from the United Terellian Council appears on the screen. Merlin can see people in the background behind her hugging each other and cheering. “You have helped us save our planet.” Her voice wobbles with emotion. “We can never repay you.”

“Being able to help you is all the repayment we need,” replies Percival. 

Merlin glances back at Harry and is alarmed to see tears streaming down his face. He leaves Percival to finish up with the science officer. “Alright there, Harry?” he asks.

Harry sniffles. “I started thinking about all the people on the planet and how they’re all going to be ok now and my eyes started leaking?” 

Merlin doesn’t want to tease him too badly, but can’t help a little ribbing. “You used to have no heart at all and now you have so much it’s leaking all out of you.”

Harry starts giggling helplessly. It takes him a minute to get himself back under control, wiping at his eyes. He takes one look at Merlin and starts up again. “It’s not even that funny.” 

Merlin puts a hand on his shoulder and gently steers him towards the turbolift. “It’s a pretty common reaction to sleep deprivation. Let’s get you home, you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.” 

“You’ll come with me?”

“I could use a nap.”

* * *

Merlin grabs his breakfast from the replicator and sits down across from Harry, who murmurs “Good morning,” and goes back to scrolling through his padd, sipping his tea. Harry’s lounging at the table like he owns the place, wearing a dark red dressing gown that Merlin thinks might be based off the robes he was wearing when they first met. Once Harry figured out how to modify the replicator patterns, there was no stopping him. 

Merlin’s had plenty of opportunity in the past weeks to speak with Ginger about getting Harry his own quarters. It keeps slipping his mind. He’s been busy with work, and busy helping Harry explore his temporary home. With Merlin’s help, Harry has learned that he likes pastries and drinking real alcohol, and does not like country music or hangovers. 

Merlin supposes the whole exercise will end up being pointless in the end. He has no reason to suspect Harry’s lying, even to himself, when he says the punishment won’t be permanent. Harry will surely be off to harass some other species in some other galaxy any day now. 

A chirp sounds from Harry’s padd. He makes a pleased hum. “Tequila’s inviting us to his dance troupe’s performance this evening in Ten Forward. What do you think?”

“I think you’ll enjoy the experience. Tequila is quite good, I always try to attend his performances if I can,” Merlin tells him.

Harry nods and starts tapping back a response. Merlin watches him for a minute. He allows himself a brief fantasy. One where Harry never gets his sentence commuted. He stays on the ship, with Merlin. They eat breakfast together every morning, just like this.

That won’t happen, but he can still enjoy the time he does have with Harry. “I’m scheduled to take the _Neptune_ over to Rigel next week to pick up some samples I need. How would you like to learn how to fly a shuttle?” 

* * *

Merlin keeps a close eye as Harry attempts to pilot the shuttle for the last stretch back to the ship. He reaches out hastily as Harry fires the forward thrusters instead of engaging the stabilizers. “Harry! Are you really going to crash the shuttle now after we’ve successfully made it all the way to Rigel and back?”

Harry looks back at him with innocent brown eyes. “Just trying to make sure you’re paying attention, Merlin.” He takes back control of the console, hands flying to smooth out their trajectory. 

“When am I ever not paying attention to you?” Merlin asks him. “Bane of my existence.” But his tone is too fond to fool anybody. 

Harry smiles back at him but the smile falls off his face an instant later as he sees something beyond Merlin’s shoulder. Heart seizing, Merlin whirls around. Two bright balls of light hover in the air inches from the shuttle’s ceiling. Harry’s hand comes to rest on Merlin’s shoulder. “It’s all right. They’re here for me.” 

Even more alarmed now, Merlin tries to step between Harry and the balls of light. “What are they?” The balls flash brighter in a brief pattern.

Harry gently nudges Merlin to the side. “The judges who assigned me this punishment in the first place.” He tries to smile again but it’s lopsided. “I told you they’d be back for me eventually.” The smile disappears altogether, a serious expression in its place. He holds out his hand for Merlin to shake. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Merlin reaches out and shakes his hand mechanically. The light from the two balls expands to engulf Harry, and then he’s gone. Merlin sits down in the pilot’s seat, staring ahead at the navigation readout without really seeing anything. 

Eventually he feels the shuttle jolt. Eggsy's voice comes over the intercom. " _Monarch_ to _Neptune_ , we're going to tow you the rest of the way in. I'm only reading your life signs now Merlin, you alright? What happened?" 

"Harry's people came back for him. He's gone."

"That's good news for him, right? That's what he wanted?"

It is, and Merlin knew this day was coming. It doesn't make it any easier. 

* * *

Merlin sits at his station on the bridge, scanning the asteroid field the ship is passing through while analysing the results of his latest lab experiment on the other screen. He only stared wistfully at Harry’s tea mug for five minutes this morning instead of the usual twenty so he’s doing better. He still brought his tricorder with him on his shift today. Just in case. 

He hears a bit of commotion behind him. Eggsy says “Harry! You’re back!” He turns his chair, slowly. Harry is standing in the middle of the bridge. He’s wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he was taken. Or rather, when he left to return to his people. He’s looking at Merlin, a little sheepish. Merlin has his tricorder in hand before he can think. He glances down at it now, trying to compose himself.

His eyes widen. Instead of the familiar energy signature, the readout shows human life signs. He looks back up at Harry. “I thought your punishment was over?” 

“It was. Is. They felt I had spent long enough as a human to learn my lesson.”

“Then why--?”

“I realised I didn’t want my powers back. I wanted to stay on this ship. With you. When I told them, they granted my request.” Merlin is on his feet, striding towards Harry. “I probably should have discussed this with you before--”

Merlin pulls Harry to himself and holds him tight. He couldn’t quite believe the readings but Harry is warm and solid in his arms. Harry squeezes him back. They just hold each other for a moment. Then Harry pulls back, just enough to say “Everybody is staring at us. You’re making a scene.” 

Merlin laughs out loud. “I can’t believe you of all people are giving me a hard time about making a scene on the bridge. I’ll show you what making a scene looks like.” He kisses Harry, going so far as to dip him dramatically. Eggsy wolf-whistles. Merlin almost falls over trying to bring them back up, it’s a trickier move than he realised. 

Still very close, Harry murmurs “That was more than extremely pleasant. Why didn’t you show me this earlier?”

Ginger speaks up. “We’re glad to have you back, Harry. Merlin, why don’t you take the rest of your shift to help Harry get settled back in?” 

Merlin takes his eyes off Harry for a minute to tell her “Yes sir, thank you,” before dragging Harry off to the turbolift. 

* * *

Epilogue

Merlin sits down at the table next to Harry, setting the steaming mug in front of him while placing a kiss on his temple next to his ocular implant. He cards his hand through hair that’s starting to go a little gray at the temples. Harry squeezes his knee. “Do you ever regret it?” Merlin asks. “Giving up absolute control over all of space-time? In exchange for this?” He indicates their quarters with a nod.

“No,” says Harry. “I had everything I could imagine right at my fingertips, and then I met you. And then the only thing I wanted was to show you the stars.” He shakes his head. "Do you ever wish I kept my old form?"

"That wasn't the Harry I fell in love with. This, you and me, right here, is worth more than all the stars."


End file.
